The new Bridge Dance Complex in downtown Largo is bustling with activity and vibrant young faces. City officials hope that atmosphere will translate to the rest of West Bay Drive as they prepare for a series of projects they say will revitalize the area by making it more attractive, walkable and safer.

LARGO — By the end of the year, the southwest corner of West Bay Drive and Seminole Boulevard is expected to have a whole new look.

LARGO — A longtime friendship will be renewed and some new ones will likely be created in November when 22 representatives from Largo’s sister city in Japan will visit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the bond between the two cities. 

LARGO — A project at the wastewater treatment plant that once was estimated to cost $4 million could now cost more than double that, city commissioners learned Aug. 6 during a meeting at City Hall. 

Jon Weaver’s pinball obsession started early. By the time he was 9 years old, he was busing tables at his father’s restaurant in Indiana. He earned 25 cents for each table he cleared and he used the money to play the pinball machines that stood at the front of the restaurant.

LARGO — An 8 1/2-foot-tall steel crest that had graced the front of Largo High School’s auditorium for 50 years has found a new home at Heritage Village. 

LARGO — After more than a year of negotiations, the city of Largo and the firefighters union reached a deal on enhanced benefits that both sides say will help improve morale, recruitment and retention problems that have been mounting since the recession. 

LARGO — On what would have been Jordan Belliveau’s third birthday, state Rep. Chris Latvala announced July 29 during a news conference at the Largo Police Department that he will refile “Jordan’s Law” in the 2020 legislative session.

LARGO — Largo is not having much luck finding someone to take its recyclables. 

The city of Largo only has four code officers who patrol neighborhoods in search of violations. A new initiative intends to increase the number of people on the lookout from four to about 80,000 or so — the population of Largo.

LARGO — After about a decade of discussion and 16 months of work, the $5 million Trotter Road reconstruction project is finally finished. And what was once called a “failed roadway” is now a point of pride for neighbors and the city.

LARGO — At the end of the City Commission’s June work session, Commissioner Michael Smith informally requested that the LGBTQ Pride flag be flown in front of City Hall in honor of national pride month. Aside from a concern from Commissioner Curtis Holmes that it might be setting a bad preced…

The property tax rate in Largo will decrease after city leaders voted 6-0 on July 19 to set the maximum rate at 5.7 mills. If it remains there or is reduced further is yet to be seen, however, as commissioners weigh whether to move forward with a $3.5 million project to reconstruct the city’s 43-year-old Parks Division building.

LARGO — Higher property values could mean lower tax rates for Largo residents, according to the fiscal year 2020 budget proposed by City Manager Henry Schubert.

In June, members of the Largo-based Tutterow Dance Company traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, for the Imagine Dance Challenge National Championship. 

LARGO — Pinellas County is home to about 413 hotels. Only five of those are in Largo.

LARGO — A project to redevelop 7.2 acres of property in northwest Largo into a subdivision of single-family homes and townhomes/villas moved forward July 2 after city leaders signed off on a land-use change for the site at 1756 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

LARGO — Sgt. Ann Starling of the Largo Police Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit says she’s seen enough injuries and deaths caused by distracted drivers to know that a new law banning texting while driving is a “step in the right direction.”

LARGO — Each year, about 25,000 patrons flood Central Park for the city’s annual July 4th celebration, where they find plenty of food, entertainment and, ultimately, fireworks. This year, there’s one thing they won’t find: single-use plastics.

LARGO — Members of the Greater Ridgecrest community will place the spotlight on the past, present and future Saturday, June 22, when they come together for the 12th annual Juneteenth Celebration at the YMCA of the Suncoast in Largo.

LARGO — Commission chambers were filled with positive vibes June 18 as the city of Largo welcomed new employees, honored current ones and bid farewell to a staple of City Hall.

LARGO — As the city gets ready to celebrate the completion of one major community streets project at Trotter Road, it’s gearing up to begin another one.

LARGO — The state fire marshal is investigating a blaze that destroyed a vacant supermarket at 11904 Seminole Blvd. in Largo on June 15.

City leaders last month rejected a proposal to lower residential speed limits citywide to 25 mph in favor of a new policy addressing concerns on a case-by-case basis. Engineers presented that new traffic calming and speed limit reduction policy to a pleased group of commissioners June 11 during a work session at City Hall.

A groundbreaking for Largo's first mixed-use project, West Bay Lofts, marked a milestone for the city and also brought new hope for the revitalization of its downtown. The $48.8 million project includes a five-story building on the 500 block of West Bay Drive and a three-story building on the 600 block, and city officials hope it will be the catalyst the area needs.

LARGO — A Largo aerospace manufacturer looking to expand its facility took a step toward landing a $235,000 incentive June 4 when city commissioners unanimously voted to approve the tax refund program.

LARGO — Last year, the city was only a veto away from receiving $1 million from the state for its Rosery Road reconstruction project. Therefore, entering this year’s state legislative session, officials were optimistic about the possibility of receiving funding for at least one of its five a…

LARGO — McGough Nature Park recently received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

LARGO — Bobby Roundtree, a former Largo High School football star and University of Illinois junior defensive lineman who suffered a severe spinal injury during a swimming accident on May 18, remains hospitalized at Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor, according to the university.

LARGO — About six months ago, Largo’s Code Enforcement Division rebranded itself as the Community Standards Division in an effort to highlight collaboration with property owners rather than confrontation.

Jayion McCluster has plenty to look forward to in the coming years. The soon-to-be Largo senior is one of the most highly rated inside linebackers in the entire country and announced his commitment to continue his football and academic careers at Florida State University on May 1.

A decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran urged attendees at a Memorial Day ceremony at Largo Central Park to keep fallen Americans in their minds and their families in their hearts. “For their ultimate sacrifice allows us to embrace and to celebrate the freedom we enjoy today,” said Rev. Bob Swick, the keynote speaker at the May 27 event.

LARGO — Largo leaders hit the brakes May 21 on a proposal to lower residential speed limits by 5 mph throughout the city, but they also gave the green light to a new process that would allow the city to tackle neighborhood concerns on a case-by-case basis.